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My husband and I recently went to Jamaica for vacation. This is the first vacation we have away from the kids since my daughter was born. We had never been to Jamaica before and we loved it so much!

Balcony View from our room

We found a deal on the internet which was really reasonable and it was an all-inclusive resort. When we arrived, we found out it used to be a Sandal’s Resort recently converted to a Jewel’s Resort. In any case, it was fabulous and not as pricy as associated with Sandals.

Pool with Waterfall

Lawn Chess

The Beach

Marc playing beach volleyball

The thing I enjoyed the most, was how friendly the Jamaicans were. Everywhere we went, they were open, friendly, not pushy, not salesy, just wonderful.

In the last five weekends, this is the first one I have not worked (I’m not talking about shift work, I’m talking about extra hours worked beyond the workweek). It’s on the eve of a week where I know I will be working overtime during the evenings next week because my boss is in town and I will be staying late to answer questions and do what needs to be done while he is here. My standard vacation is 2 weeks per year.

I have worked with many international companies. Some countries work even more hours than we do, but some countries work much less. There are many countries where the standard minimum vacation is 4 weeks. They also strictly watch overtime and even for salaried workers make the companies pay more.

For the USA, what is to show for all this extra work…nothing. Of any of the industrialized nations, in the past the US was in the top for economy and production. Now we are not. All of this extra effort and work isn’t getting us ahead. I think it is time to rethink our priorities as a nation.

The Eggplant!

An update on the status of my eggplant. (Not that anyone cares except me.)

Before…

Now

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Marc and I went on vacation to Jamaica and it was so fun. The people there are super nice and they make the best cocktails! Some of my favorite were Jamaica Me Smile, and although I’m not sure I would like the taste, the Bob Marley is gorgeous to look at. I will be making a few posts soon about some special highlights from Jamaica and all the fun we had there. Everyone knows it is cheap and easy to go on vacation from the US to Mexico…but Jamaica is definitely the better way to go! You get a lot less hassle from the locals selling things, the drinks are better and it’s just a cheap. Love it!